Passport Culminating Reception

By: Iwinosa Idahor
Graduate Assistant, Passport to Success

On Wednesday, April 4, 2018, the Passport to Success Program held its annual Culminating Reception to recognize students who have completed the requirements of the program. The Passport to Success program is an academic enrichment and student engagement program that was created to provide Teacher Education students with opportunities to design "out of the classroom" experiences that supplements what they are learning in the classroom.  Passport scholars, faculty/staff,  family, and friends mingled over light refreshments. Graduating scholars shared brief presentations about their various experiences focused on the following themes: Global knowledge, Community Engagement, Cross-Cultural Skills, and Professional Development, as guests rotated from station to station to learn more.

Students were encouraged to highlight key experiences and share the impact of being a part of the Passport to Success program. Congratulatory remarks were delivered by Dean Mary Ann Danowitz, who presented scholars with a Certificate of Completion and an honor cord to be worn during graduation. Faculty mentors joined their scholar for pictures as they received their certificate and honor cord. Final remarks were delivered by Dr. Anona Smith Williams, Associate Dean of Student Success and Strategic Community Engagement, who also charged students to remain involved in the College. 

Congratulations to the following Passport to Success graduates:

Jennifer Davis, Elementary Education, 2016 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Ms. Tremaine Brittain

Alexa DeFalco, Elementary Education, 2017 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Peter Hessling

Kelsi Harris, Elementary Education, 2016 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Peter Hessling

Bethany Helms, Math Education, 2017 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Cyndi Edgington

Ashley Lawson, Math Education, 2016 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Michael Maher

Nikole Miller, Middle Grades Language Arts & Social Studies, 2016 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Kristin Hoffman

Anna Schlesinger, Elementary Education, 2016 Cohort
Faculty/Staff Mentor: Dr. Kristin Hoffman

Learning How To Learn

On April 10, Mrs. Catherine Garner from Cary High School held a professional development session for Passport to Success. Her presentation focused on making learning accessible to all students in the classroom. She discussed obstacles that she faced throughout her education, due to Dyslexia and ADHD. Due to this experience, as a teacher, she now works to provide strategies for her students to make the material more available to them.

By attending this professional development, I was reminded of the importance of differentiated learning. Every student has unique learning needs and it is our job as educators to ensure that each student is provided with the support and skills that they need to learn. As students progress to high school, it is easy to blame the student for not taking the time to learn the material because of the shifting of students' responsibilities as learners. However, teachers must be reminded that not every student possesses the strategies to learn and it is the teacher's job to aid them with the skills they need to be successful in the classroom.

Mrs. Garner does this in her classroom by providing flexible seating, giving students with energy time to stand up, color coding information, and providing multiple opportunities throughout the year for students to review material they need to know for their finals. By using such strategies, she makes information in her class more accessible to all students. In my own classroom, I hope to incorporate the strategies that she has shared with us to ensure that the material is accessible to different types of learners.

2018 Spotlight Awards

By: Hayley Sullivan
Sophomore, Elementary Education

On Thursday, April 12, 2018, the Education Council hosted the 2018 Spotlight Awards Reception at the William & Ida Friday Institute for Educational Innovation. At the beginning of the reception, attendees mingled over refreshments before the awards ceremony began. Opening remarks were given by Dr. Paola Sztajn, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation.

Students were recognized for various acts of service, including Club Presidents, Outstanding Club Members, and College of Education Student Ambassadors. Special Awards were given in the categories of: College of Education Spirit Award, Community Service Award, Rising Leader Award, and the Golden Apple Award. Overall, the 2018 Spotlight Awards Reception was a great way to recognize outstanding College of Education students as well as celebrate the end of an amazing year!

BUILD Summit 2018

By: Andy Khounmeuang
Junior, Math Education

On Saturday, April 14, the 3rd annual Brothers United in Leadership Development (BUILD) Summit was held in the College of Education. The BUILD Summit brought over 100 high school minority male students from across the state to encourage this year’s theme of “building a community.”  Mr. Reggie Barnes, Senior Director for Campus Community Centers (OIED), delivered the keynote address.

Having the guest speakers speak about their own personal life regarding their own community when they were younger helped high school students to aspire to be future leaders in their own community. Small group discussions with student leaders, a Q&A panel, and various student organization performances were also highlights of the event. 

Despite my behind-the-scenes work, I believe it is important for the students to realize that they have the potential to build their community and gain connections to help achieve their goals.

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SAY Rally 2018

By: Mackenzie Hunt
Junior, Science Education

On Friday, April 27, 2018, the Students Advocating for Youth (SAY) Living and Learning Village hosted its annual SAY Rally. The rally provides student mentees from five partner schools in Wake County to come to NC State’s campus to spend time with their assigned SAY mentors. The purpose of the rally is to have one last “Hurrah!” before the end of the school year. Each year, over 40 elementary, middle, and high school students are brought to campus to play games and have fun!

This year, the SAY Rally included painting, a slideshow presentation, food, and games. As the students arrived, they were able to paint their handprints on the wall of the Free Expression Tunnel, alongside their mentor. After painting, mentors took their mentees to Park Shops, where Mr. Robin McWilliams, SAY Village Director, presented a slideshow showcasing the past year of mentoring. Each mentee was pictured alongside their mentors on the slideshow, as well as some other fun activities from the village throughout the year.

Following the slideshow presentation, everyone went outside to the Court of Carolina to have pizza, eat Howling Cow ice cream, and play fun games. Afterwards, the fun really began with the games. SAY Education Advisors (EA) hosted field day activities, including an obstacle course bounce house, three-legged races, sponge races, potato sack races, and spin art. The SAY Living and Learning Village is doing great things in the Raleigh Area, which fills me with so much joy and I cannot  wait to see what else is in store!

On Sunday, April 29, 2018, the African American Cultural Center hosted the 25th anniversary of the Ebony Harlem Awards of Excellence. This event is the annual celebration of Black excellence at NC State. The event began in 1993, making this year’s 25th anniversary the continuation of a legacy (or “Wawa Aba” from the West African Adinkra symbol) of student impact and collaboration. This special program recognizes NC State students, faculty, and staff who reflect and represent, through their leadership, dedication and talents, the mission of the African American Cultural Center. There were 20 award recipients recognized in categories that covered the creative arts, leadership, academic achievement and service.

Chantal Warfield, a junior in Education General Studies, also served as a presenter of the Literary Talent Award, which recognizes students with literary talent in prose, poetry, writing, storytelling, and the like, who keep the African tradition of literary expression alive. When asked about the importance of the Ebony Harlem Awards, Warfield stated, "it is amazing to be recognized for our accomplishments at NC State to better the entire campus community, as well as the Black community. It feels great to know that we are all working hard to be great. We are leaving a lasting impact on this community." 
 

There were two recipients from the College of Education. Dr. Tracey Ray, an Assistant Adjunct Professor in Counselor Education and the Assistant Vice Provost for Student Diversity. Dr. Ray took home the African American Cultural Center Legacy Award for her service to NC State as well the Distinguished Alumni Award, which was presented by Black Alumni Society.

Erin Elliot is a first year Masters student in the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences program. She was recognized for her contributions to campus, winning the Graduate Student Impact Award.

The Ebony Harlem Awards of Excellence also impacts future and current educators, as Warfield mentioned, "it is important to recognize talent and leadership within the school and the community. Educators are cultivating these students. They are leaving an impact on these students. It is important to keep pushing all of your students to succeed and to want to use their talents to benefit their community."

This year has been a learning experience for me as the President of the Multicultural Young Educators Network. I came into the position with copious amounts of enthusiasm and ambitious expectations for how we would flourish as an organization. I wanted to make sure that MYEN was fulfilling its purpose, which is “to provide diverse students with a platform in which to collaborate, address challenges in education paradigms, and develop as culturally competent 21st century educators through social programming and community service activities.” I believe that we accomplished what we intended to do. MYEN was very intentional with our programming, hosting programs that educated the College of Education and NC State communities about diverse groups of students, including those who are English Language Learners, who are of Native American descent, and those who are from low-income families. In the future, we hope to plan more programs that highlight the needs of different groups of students to make sure that our future educators are competent in their interactions with diverse groups of people.

For the upcoming academic year, MYEN has big plans as an organization. The Executive Board has come together and planned MYEN’s activities and programs for the fall semester. During Wolfpack Welcome Week, we will be participating in Campus Connections in Talley Student Union and the College of Education Welcome Event, and we will be hosting a social to welcome our members back to campus and introduce new students to MYEN. We plan on expanding the organization through increased membership, community engagement, and collaborations with student organizations and campus partners. Over the summer, the Executive Board will be undertaking a multitude of projects to make sure that we are prepared for the new year. We hope that through our renewed vision, we will focus more clearly on our mission of “promoting unity among diverse groups of students in the college and the university, preparing future educators to be competent in diverse environments, and completing service projects related to education, with a focus on cultural awareness.”

As the end of another school year approaches, it is important to take the time to reflect on the successes and accomplishments.  This past year, I had the privilege of serving as the President of Education Council, the umbrella entity that unites clubs and organizations within the College of Education.  When I first started this position, I didn’t know what to expect. It is a daunting task taking on this position as a Junior, but I was excited to embark on this journey.

One of the main items on my agenda was to create a community service opportunity for students within the College of Education.  As future educators, it is important that we know the value of serving others around us. In the fall, Education Council partnered with Feed the Pack to host a Canned Food Drive within the College of Education.  The drive was a huge success and it was amazing to see students get involved in helping the local community.

Along with the canned food drive, the Education Council also hosted Wolfpack Welcome Week within the College of Education, the annual Dinner with the Deans, and of course, the Spotlight Awards in April. This awards ceremony honors students within the college who have not only contributed to the NC State community, but are making a difference every day in the classroom.  This was a wonderful way to celebrate the accomplishments of individuals and organizations, and I am so honored that I was able to be a part of the Education Council.